The Street Church

Giving, prayer and fasting. Three simple practices that Jesus expects his followers will continue to do in their obedience to him. But how do these simple things go beyond mere rule-following and habit? As we looked at last week, it's all about our heart posture in doing them.

As he continues his counter-cultural sermon, Jesus takes aim at the teachings of the Pharisees, the religious elite of the day. Jesus raises the bar to show them - and us - that we cannot achieve righteousness through our outward efforts, because it's an inward thing that begins in our hearts.

Salt and light. Two incredibly simple illustrations Jesus used to show his followers how they ought to live differently from the surrounding culture, and simultaneously how they'll impact that culture for the kingdom of God. So it's worth asking, how salty are we? How brightly do we shine?

What are the Beatitudes all about? In Jesus' opening remarks to his famous Sermon on the Mount, he describes the character qualities that he desires his followers to embody - and the blessing they will receive. At first reading, it looks like a simple list, but dive a bit deeper, and you'll see they are incredibly counter-cultural.

We wrap up our One Another summer series by looking at the outworking of how we love, bear with, forgive and show humility towards one another in the church: we serve each other. What gifts have you received that can be used to encourage and bless others in service?